ALL NOVEL Chapter 4: Chapter 4
The test chamber fell silent for a moment as the countdown hit zero. Then, with a mechanical hiss, panels in the walls slid open, and the robots poured in. They were humanoid in design, large and intimidating, with bulky frames, their exteriors plated with reinforced carbon-fiber armor. Their weapons varied in 2 main classes: melee and projectile. Machine guns mounted on their arms, shoulder-fired rocket launchers, and soundwave cannons designed to disorient and suppress. Their limbs could transform into razor sharp swords, axes and saw blades.
Ivan charged forward, his scaled skin turned into steel deflecting the first volley of bullets and absorbing a large portion of their kinetic energy simultaneously. Sparks flew as the machine guns' rounds ricocheted off his body. He planted himself in front of the team, becoming an immovable wall between the robots and the others except Gervasii.
A rocket whistled toward him, and he braced himself, absorbing the explosion with a grunt. The kinetic energy flowed into him, fueling his next move—a devastating punch to the ground that cracked the floor and sent a shockwave ripping through the nearest line of robots.
From behind Ivan, Yulia unleashed a torrent of molten magma, her hands glowing red-hot. The magma splattered against the robots, melting through their armor and jamming their weapon systems. When a robot managed to pass through Ivan, her razor-sharp hair lashed out, severing its limbs in a single stroke.
Anya stayed close to Ivan, creating barriers of water that stopped incoming bullets, and when given a chance, she would catch the robots by surprise with raising water pillars at where they stood, drenching their circuits . Her dandelion-like healing flowers sprouted whenever Ivan faltered, their pollen sealing cuts and bruises almost instantly.
Aleksandr stood at the rear, his hands and mind concentrated with electricity and magnetism manipulation.
A barrage of bullets and rockets rained down on the team with unrelenting intensity. The robots had calculated the odds and concluded that Ivan, despite his strength, couldn't block or absorb all incoming fire.
Aleksandr, who seemed to get the same prediction, controlled the magnetic field to deflect the hail of bullets harmlessly to the side(majority of a bullet made from lead - diamagnetic metal). But the rockets streaking toward them; however, all of them froze mid-air as if caught by invisible hands. Aleksandr redirected them with precision, sending them back to their sources in fiery explosions that reduced dozens of robots to molten scrap and shook the training area from their impact.
Without a word, Aleksandr extended his awareness, locating the electrical currents within the robots' circuits. With an almost imperceptible movement of his fingers, he altered the direction and magnitude of those currents, creating chaotic surges. Sparks erupted across the battlefield as robots seized up, their systems frying in unison. In mere seconds, nearly a hundred robots within a 60-meter radius from Aleksandr fell silent, their lifeless frames crashing to the ground.
The team froze for a moment, their shock palpable. Yulia, Anya, and Ivan stared at Aleksandr in disbelief, the destruction he had unleashed affirming every whispered rumor about his unparalleled control over his quirks.
Yet the respite was short-lived. As quickly as the robots fell, reinforcements poured into the chamber from concealed doors and hatches along the walls. Their numbers doubled, then tripled, until the team found themselves surrounded on all sides. The air grew heavy with tension as Aleksandr's teammates prepared to face an enemy that seemed endless.
Gervasii darted around the battlefield, teleporting in short bursts to disorient the robots. He aimed for weak points—joints, power sources, and sensors—using his accelerated reflexes to stay ahead of their targeting systems.
Velocity emanating from projectiles such as bullets and rockets was tangible to Gervasii. Extending his quirk's awareness through the space around him, he absorbed as much velocity as possible. The bullets, deprived of their motion, clattered harmlessly to the floor. Rockets, however, posed a greater challenge; their propulsion engines continued to generate thrust even as Gervasii drained their velocity, slowing them gradually until they finally fell inert once the engines ceased to fire.
The crucial aspect of Gervasii's velocity absorption quirk lies in its inherent limitation—his body can only store a finite amount of internal velocity before it risks catastrophic failure. Exceeding this limit could result in his body being torn apart within seconds. To prevent such a grim outcome, Gervasii must redirect the excess velocity he absorbs into other objects or forces. In this scenario, he expertly channeled the stolen velocity from the bullets into the robots' bodies, launching them at tremendous speeds. The sudden propulsion sent the robots hurtling into walls or colliding violently with one another, turning their momentum into their own devastation.
As powerful as Gervasii was, his overconfidence led to a critical mistake. While trying to teleport behind a cluster of robots, he miscalculated and reappeared in their midst. Machine guns swiveled toward him, and a loud soundwave blast disoriented him. The robots closed in, their weapons aimed for a finishing blow.
Aleksandr felt Gervasii's panic ripple through his mind, a frantic scream for help. Locating the robots swarming Gervasii, without hesitation, Aleksandr disabled their systems with his electricity manipulation, saving the "lone wolf" from his demise.
"Stick to Yulia's plan if you want to last longer.", Aleksandr suggested, not forcing.
Gervasii nodded and teleported to join Yulia team's formation.
Despite their efforts, the robots eventually outnumbered them plus the 5 kids ran out of their energy. A barrage of rockets forced Ivan to his knees, his kinetic absorption overwhelmed. Yulia's magma slowed as the robots' armor became more resistant, and a direct hit from a machine gun shattered her sensory device, marking her as 'out.'
Anya's healing abilities kept the team going longer than expected, but a well-placed soundwave blast sent her sprawling. Her sensory device shattered, and she was dragged out of the test by drones.
Gervasii fell next, cornered by a pincer attack from two machine gun-wielding bots. His teleportation quirk failed him at the worst possible moment, and a burst of bullets clipped his shoulder, marking him as 'out.'
Aleksandr was the last one standing, his body trembling under the weight of accumulated exhaustion. As his control over his quirks faltered, he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Summoning the remnants of his strength, he absorbed electricity from the destroyed robots around him, channeling it into his palm. When the next wave of robots closed in, Aleksandr unleashed a final, desperate surge of electricity, the blinding arcs electrocuting the advancing machines. But before he could recover, a robot crept up from behind, its cold, mechanical grip locking onto him. In a swift motion, it stabbed his sensory device, ending his resistance.
The group sat in uneasy silence as the scientists monitored their vitals, their sharp gazes fixed on the screens. Gervasii, cradling his injured shoulder and avoiding eye contact with anyone, finally broke the quiet.
"Aleksandr," he said, his voice low, almost hesitant. "Why did you save me? You could've just let me handle it."
Aleksandr's gaze shifted toward him, calm and impassive. "Because it wasn't just your fight. If you fail that soon, there's a chance we may all suffer. I would suggest that staying together is the only way we survive in here."
Yulia let out a sharp, incredulous laugh as she stood up from sitting and walked forward.
"No kidding. You acted like you had everything under control, and look where it got you—nearly turned into a shooting target by those bots. Teamwork isn't just an option here; it's mandatory."
Gervasii bristled, his tone defensive.
"I don't need anyone babysitting me. I can handle myself."
Yulia rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh yeah? Well that worked out great, didn't it?"
Yulia didn't hold back. She leaned forward as she glared at Gervasii.
"And what were you saying? That you didn't ask for help? Nice joke shithead! You needed it. You ignored my plan, rushed in like you had everything figured out, and almost got yourself killed!"
Her voice rose, sharp and biting, her confidence turning to scorn.
"What part of teamwork didn't you understand, genius? I warned you those bots may adapt, which they DID if you went alone, but no—you just had to do it your way."
Gervasii shot her a glare, his tone laced with bitterness. "Well sorry, I didn't realize your 'brilliant' plan involved me sitting around while you barked orders.You're so eager to be in charge, aren't you?"
Yulia smirked, her eyes flashing. "Hah! And what? My plan worked for this team to last that long without me getting flattened like a pancake in just 10 minutes. Dumb ass!"
Gervasii's pale cheeks flushed as he shot back, "You act like you're so much better than the rest of us, but you're not."
"Wrong! I'm better than you, apparently!" Yulia fired back, standing her ground.
Gervasii tightened his fists with an angry stare at the girl who had been constantly taunting him as he began to walk to her.
"Enough, both of you."
Ivan, his voice calm but firm as he stepped in like a big brother who stopped his younger siblings from fighting each other.
His gaze was steady, shifting between them. "You know she's right, Gervasii. You messed up, and it almost cost us all. This isn't about pride—it's about survival."
Gervasii sighed, accepting the lectures thrown into his face as he stepped away.
Yulia crossed her arms, huffing. "Exactly. You want to act like a lone wolf? Fine, but don't expect us to save your sorry ass next time."
Gervasii's pale cheeks flushed, his usual aloof demeanor cracking under the weight of their words. He took a glare to Aleksandr, who remained quiet for a moment, his unreadable expression making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Then he distanced himself from the 4 again.
"If we're going to survive, we need to trust each other. That means listening—to all of us."
Ivan stated and looked to Yulia.
"And you need to remember that we're on the same side. This isn't about being better than anyone else."
Yulia scoffed but nodded grudgingly. "Whatever. Just don't expect me to keep quiet when someone screws up."
Ivan leaned back against the wall, his voice heavy with finality. "Good. Then let's all make sure no one does next time."
The group fell into a tense silence once more. Aleksandr's gaze lingered on Gervasii for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Unbeknownst to the others, Aleksandr had seen more than just mistakes during the fight. Delving into Gervasii's mind, he had uncovered something valuable—a fragmented mental map of the facility, pieced together from Gervasii's observations during countless experiments.
Aleksandr kept that knowledge to himself for now, his true intentions buried beneath his calm demeanor.
The lead observation scientist stood before the group of five, clipboard in hand, his voice detached but laced with faint approval.
"Overall, your performance exceeded expectations. Each of you demonstrated effective use of your quirks, quick reactions, and commendable observation skills, adapting to the changing dynamics of battle with efficiency.
Aleksandr, your precision and ability to anticipate and exterminate threats with your quirks: perfectly-applied.
Ivan, your resilience and use of kinetic energy were very impressive and have room for much more improvements.
Anya, your versatility with water manipulation showed creativity under pressure. And your healing quirk did its job well on the real battlefield.
Gervasii…" He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "While your speed and reflexes are undeniable, your decision to act independently without regard for the team was reckless. Such actions jeopardize not only yourself but the entire unit."
He shifted his gaze to Yulia, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. "Yulia, your ability to create and execute a tactical plan stood out. Your strategy, though not perfect, demonstrated a clear aptitude for leadership and quick thinking, which proved vital to the team's success. It's a strength you should continue to develop."
The scientist straightened, his voice turning cold and authoritative. "That said, this was just the beginning. After assessing the results from this test, we came to the conclusion that you are all now being prepared for the next phase of the operation. The challenges ahead will push you further, testing not only your quirks but your cohesion as a team. Prepare yourselves accordingly."